Generation Z grew up with social media as a natural part of everyday life. Sharing photos, opinions, feelings, or personal experiences is a common form of communication for them. At the same time, however, this generation is well aware of the risks associated with the collection and misuse of personal data. This tension between awareness of risks and willingness to share represents one of the most intriguing paradoxes of the digital age.
Research shows that Generation Z’s decisions about sharing personal information on social media are not random. Instead, they involve a constant weighing of benefits and risks, known as the privacy calculus. On the one hand, there are concerns about loss of privacy, data misuse, or loss of control over information. On the other hand, there are benefits—access to free content, social recognition, a sense of belonging, and personalized content and advertising.
An interesting finding is that attitudes toward advertising play a more important role than privacy concerns alone. When Generation Z has a more positive view of advertising and perceives it as relevant or useful, their willingness to share personal data increases. Paradoxically, even when they do not find advertising particularly appealing, they often trust it—placing more trust in the content of advertisements than in the platforms on which they appear.
A very strong factor is the influence of reference groups. In their social media behavior, Generation Z is heavily influenced by what their friends, peers, or online communities consider normal. If sharing personal information is accepted or even expected within a group, individuals tend to conform—sometimes at the expense of their own privacy.
By contrast, social anxiety and loneliness play a less significant role. Although it is often assumed that young people share more because of psychological distress or an attempt to compensate for missing offline relationships, research shows that Generation Z is generally socially integrated. Sharing on social media is therefore not a compensation for loneliness, but rather part of ordinary social interaction.
These findings have important implications. They suggest that protecting Generation Z’s privacy is not only a matter of technical settings or legislation. Social norms, platform cultures, and the way advertising is presented are equally important. If we want young people to make more informed decisions about their privacy, we need to understand how strongly their behavior is shaped by their social environment—and not only by their individual attitudes.
Citation:
Rózsa, Z., Ferenčáková, L., Zámek, D., & Firstová, J. (2024). Generation Z’s perception of privacy on social media: Examining the impact of personalized advertising, interpersonal relationships, reference group dynamics, social isolation, and anxiety on self-disclosure willingness. Oeconomia Copernicana, 15(1), 229–266. https://doi.org/10.24136/oc.2956
